8 Cold Email Templates To Generate More Leads

It’s no secret that templates can make you more efficient at sending cold email campaigns. However, regardless of what you’re using those templates to achieve, less is almost always more.

Sending fewer, more personalized emails generally gets better results – both in the short-term (i.e. in the reply rate you get) and the long-term (i.e. in your ability to build relationships with prospects). Templates should be used as a starting point to help speed up the process of sending cold emails, but there’s a balance to be struck between sending an entirely templated campaign (not a good idea) and 100% personalized emails (gets results, but is really inefficient).

However, for best results, templates should never be pulled from a site and sent as-is – they should always be adapted to fit the tone and style of the sender. This is part of the personalization process, but it also helps ensure that you’re not making the embarrassing mistake of sending the same email as a competitor (even when you’re only competing with them for inbox space).

1. Tie your email to a recent event

Subject: Congrats!

Hi [name],

Just saw the news about [trigger event]. Congrats!

Usually when this happens, [insert value prop] becomes a priority. So, I thought you might be interested in finding out how we helped [similar company] [insert benefit].

I know things at [company name] must be crazy now, but If you’d like to learn more, let’s set up a quick call.

How does [specific day and time] look on your calendar? Alternatively, here’s a link to my calendar or feel free to send me yours.

This approach is a winner because it shows you’re not sending out a mass email campaign to every company that might have a small chance of being interested in your product. Instead, you’ve noticed something that they’ve specifically achieved, and have matched that to your product.

2. Be as direct as you can

Subject: 10x [prospect’s company’s] traction in 10 minutes

Hello [name],

I have an idea that I can explain in 10 minutes that can get [company] its next 100 best customers.

I recently used this idea to help our client [SaaS company/competitor] almost triple their monthly run rate.

[Name], let’s schedule a quick 10-minute call so I can share the idea with you. When works best for you?

This template reportedly generated a 57% open rate and a 21% response rate. This is largely because:

The subject line highlights an attractive proposition, but leaves enough to the imagination to make the recipient want to open the email and learn more.

It very quickly describes what the sender can offer the prospect (100 new customers) and what they need from them (10 minutes of their time).

It uses social proof as evidence of how this proposition has worked for others.

3. & 4. Ask for an introduction

Hi [ name],

I was looking to get introduced to [person you’re trying to connect with] from [that person’s company], and saw you were connected to them. I’m not sure how well you’re connected to them, but if the relationship is strong, I’d really appreciate an introduction to chat about ways they can work with [your company].

Please let me know if you feel comfortable doing this and I’ll forward a proper request for the introduction that you can forward to them.

I don’t see this approach used often. In theory that might be a bad sign, but in this case I don’t think it is. We all know that getting a positive response from a prospect is easier if a mutual contact introduces you. This template turns this approach on its head by asking a stranger to initiate the introduction. It won’t work on everyone, but it’s not a huge ask – approach this one in the right way and you might be surprised at the results.

Here’s another template (from the same source) that does a good job of leveraging this approach.

Hey [Name],

Was hoping that you might be able to introduce me to Johnny Dealmaker at Project X?

I wanted to connect with him because our email list targets a similar demographic with limited overlap. Seeing as our products are non-competitive, I wanted to touch base to see if he was up for brainstorming ways to leverage our existing user bases to grow both of our lists.

We did this with Company R in the past, and both parties received a 15% lift in new subscribers.

Any help is much appreciated.

[Your name]

5. Mention a competitor’s product

Hi [Name],

Just ran across your website and noticed you were using [Your competitor’s product]. How are you liking it? I run a [service] called [your company].

It’s just like [your competitor’s product], only [key differentiator]. If you’re up for it, I would love to jump on a quick call with you and get your opinion on how we could make [prospect’s company] better (and see if it would make sense for us to work together).

Would [date and time] be a good time for you? (If not, I’m flexible, just let me know)

This approach targets prospects who are using a product similar to your own, which means you can safely assume they may be interested in using your product instead. All you need to do is highlight your product’s USP to show why it’s a better choice for the prospect than the product they’re currently using.

6. When you’re unsure whether you’re emailing the right person

Send something like this…

Hi [ name],

I’m [your name] and I lead the business development efforts at [your company]. We have recently launched a new solution that [one sentence pitch – what your solution does].

Based on your online profile [mention profile link], it appears that you might be the right person, or at least point me to the right person to talk about [problem solved by your product]

I’d like to speak to someone from [company name] who is responsible for [key decision required to buy or use your product].

If it’s you, would you be open to a 10-minute call on [time and date] to discuss how [solution name] can help your business? If it’s not you, can you kindly point me to the appropriate person?

I’m guessing that, like me, you receive tons of emails that ask you to point the sender in the right direction. I’ll also bet that you almost never respond.

That’s because these sorts of emails rarely give you a reason to help the sender out. The example above bucks this trend. It demonstrates that you’ve at least done a bit of research into who you’re contacting, and have matched your product to their business model – you’re just not 100% sure whether the person you’re reaching out to is the best person to deal with.

7. & 8. When you know someone’s been on your website

Hi [ Name],

You recently visited [website] and [took this action].

If you’re interested in [content topic] then I can recommend the following additional resources:

[relevant resource 1]

[relevant resource 2]

Our company also offers [product/service] which could help you [achieve this specific result or statistic].

Are you free for a call tomorrow at [give 2 possible times] to discuss this further?

This one isn’t targeted towards an entirely cold lead, since the prospect’s completed an action on your site resulting in you capturing their email address. However, since there isn’t any indication that they’re actually interested in talking to or buying from you, it’s close enough [to a cold lead]. It’s also something you should be making sure to leverage when the opportunity arises. Don’t add prospects who arrive through your website to a mass email list – send them a personalized email that acknowledges the actions they’ve taken on your site, as in the template above.

Not sure about that template? Here’s a similar alternative from the same source:

Hi [Name],

Thanks for [taking this action] on [website]. Are you looking for a cost-effective way to [achieve this result relevant to content topic]?

I have done some research on [lead company name] and I can offer some advice regarding [area 1] and [area 2].

Do you have time for a call tomorrow at [give 2 possible times] to discuss a solution for your company?

[Your Name]

Do you have a go-to cold email template that you’d be willing to share with our other visitors? If so, it’d be great if you could leave it in the comments below:

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Sujan is the co-founder of Mailshake. He is a marketer and entrepreneur with over 14 years of marketing experience. Sujan has led the digital marketing strategy for companies like Sales Force, Mint, Intuit and many other Fortune 500 caliber companies.